The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) not to restrict the liquor bottle buyback scheme to the Nilgiris district, and instead extend it to all hill stations, including Kodaikanal, Megamalai, Yercaud and Yelagiri, and also in places surrounding wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
Justices V. Bharathidasan and N. Sathish Kumar ordered that the bottle buyback scheme, aimed at preventing injuries to wild animals due to the discarding of broken bottles in the forests, should be implemented in the Nilgiris district by May 15 and in other hill stations, as well as around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, by June 15.
The orders were passed after Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran placed before the Division Bench, which was seized of forest-related cases, a government letter written by the Prohibition and Excise Secretary, S.K. Prabakar, on April 21, permitting the Tasmac Managing Director to introduce the bottle buyback scheme in the Nilgiris district alone.
As per the letter, liquor retail outlets run by Tasmac in the Nilgiris district could sell liquor at ₹10 more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) and refund the additional charge when the bottles are returned. It was also ordered that the bottles in the Nilgiris district must contain an appropriate rubber stamp for easy identification.
After perusing the letter, the judges said the bottle buyback scheme should be introduced in other hill stations, too. When amicus curiae T. Mohan said the scheme could actually be introduced across the State to prevent the discarding of liquor bottles in various places, the judges concurred with him and said the government could deliberate on it.
When it was brought to their notice that some bars and clubs in Masinagudi, a hill town in the Nilgiris district, were selling liquor bottles at high prices since there were no retail liquor shops in the town, the judges directed the Tasmac officials as well as the Prohibition Department officials to conduct surprise inspections and seal the bars.
The judges said the customers should not be allowed to carry the liquor bottles outside. Earlier, they were informed by Tasmac standing counsel K. Sathish Kumar that there was a retail liquor shop in Masinagudi, too, but it had to be closed because of a public interest litigation petition filed against its location.
